The San Antonio Amputee Foundation, led by Mona Patel, hosted and cosponsored an Orthotic & Prosthetic Activities Foundation (OPAF)First Stride Training and Clinic on July 16 in San Antonio. Cosponsors included Hanger Clinic, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio, and Select Rehabilitation Hospital of San Antonio. The instructor was Sheila Qualls Clemens, DPT.
First Stride participants listen to the opening instructions before the hands-on session.
Photograph courtesy of OPAF.
Over 35 therapists joined the morning classroom session for instruction about prosthesis care and an introduction to gait training for people with lower-limb amputations. Therapists were also given exercises to help patients increase their core strength and improve their gait. More than 50 people with lower-limb amputations and their family members participated in the afternoon hands-on session to improve gait and stability, and they were given exercises to continue at home or in rehabilitation to improve their gait.